Camp Django Presents: Gypsy Jazz Legends Live

Lineup

• More details about Jimmy Grant

  Jimmy Grant

  Jimmy Grant grew up in a Northern California household rich with musical influences. During his travels across the country with his dad’s bluegrass band, he discovered the music of Django Reinhardt. Although his early musical landscape was shaped by Russian folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and classical music, he was irresistibly drawn to the vibrant sounds of Django Reinhardt from a young age. Under the guidance of renowned guitarists Jim Nichols and Howard Alden, Jimmy honed his craft, blending influences from Bach, Benny Goodman, and Joe Pass into his unique style. His artistry has led him to perform alongside acclaimed musicians such as David Grisman, Gonzalo Bergara, Ludovic Beier, Andreas Oberg, Tim Kliphuis, Paulus Schafer, Robin Nolan, Trio Dinicu, Rhythm Future Quartet, and the Hot Club of San Francisco. His performances have graced prestigious stages including Djangofest Northwest, The Savannah Music Festival, Nor Cal Jazz Festival, and The New York Hot Jazz Festival, as well as various venues throughout Europe. As a passionate educator, Jimmy has taught at colleges across the United States and has been a faculty member at the Django in June Festival in Massachusetts, Grappelli-Django Camp in Holland, and currently hosts his own "Camp Django" in Ashland, OR. He shares his insights into gypsy jazz through contributions to "Gypsy Jazz Secrets Magazine." Jimmy's creative endeavors also include recording two albums under his own name, participating in several jazz and rock albums, and having his music featured in films and television. Notably, his original composition "Insomnia" was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition in the jazz category.

• More details about Eva Slongo

  Eva Slongo

• More details about Sam Farthing

  Sam Farthing

  Sam Farthing is a 22-year-old guitarist and songwriter from Baltimore, specializing in jazz manouche and gypsy music. Inspired by his hero Django Reinhardt, Sam began playing guitar at age ten and quickly immersed himself in the rich tradition of gypsy jazz. His career has already taken him to stages around the world, including performances at the Festival Django Reinhardt in France, Djangofest Northwest in Washington, Django sur Lennon in Ireland, Django à Gogo events across the USA, and the Charm City Django Jazz Fest in his hometown of Baltimore. Known for both his authenticity and artistry, Sam has established himself as a rising voice in the genre. Beyond the stage, he is a dedicated teacher, sharing his passion and knowledge with musicians of all styles.

• More details about Tim Kliphuis

  Tim Kliphuis

  Award-winning Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis has created a brand new style that embraces classical, gypsy jazz and folk. Hailed as a ‘current-day improvising Paganini’, his inclusive and innovative approach to music has united audiences and is influencing a new generation of string players. As a composer, Kliphuis writes music that influences people through the heart - a very different route than the mind. For his newest piece ‘Kosmos’, he asked 5 Dutch star scientists about our future on this planet, and translated their stories and knowledge into music. In 2022, his climate change suite ‘The Five Elements’ accompanied the Royal mission to Stockholm and in 2023, he performed it for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. His 2021 Triple Concerto ‘Phoenix Rising’ (commissioned by NTR ZaterdagMatinee) considers our past, present and future. An in-demand educator and author of the best-selling book “Gypsy Jazz Violin”, Tim is Professor of String Improvisation at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam and Director of the gypsy jazz summer school Grappelli-Django Camp. In 2022, he started the world’s first comprehensive online course for jazz violin, Tim Kliphuis Studio. As a Sony Classical artist, Kliphuis recorded Vivaldi-inspired ‘Reflecting the Seasons’ in 2016, followed by ‘Brandenburg’, based on Bach’s Concertos, and his own ‘Ulysses’ Violin Concerto in 2018. He was awarded the Scottish Jazz Award, South African Woordfees Award and the Polish ‘Swing Raven’ Prize. After his master’s degree in classical violin at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, Kliphuis studied with the European Sinti gypsies. He recorded and toured with gypsy guitar legends Fapy Lafertin, The Rosenberg Trio and Angelo Debarre. An invitation to the Richard Strauss Festival in Germany started the Tim Kliphuis Trio (Nigel Clark, guitar and Roy Percy, double bass) whose mission is a ‘total music’ without stylistic barriers. They performed at the Amsterdam Canal Concert, curated the world fiddle night at Celtic Connections Glasgow, celebrated Stéphane Grappelli at the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-Seine and shared the stage with Les Paul, Roby Lakatos, Richard Galliano, Frankie Gavin, Martin Hayes and Daniel Hope. The Trio collaborated with the Netherlands and Tallinn Chamber Orchestras, The Hague and Cape Town Philharmonic and Sinfonietta Amsterdam and toured America, South Africa and Russia. In between Trio tours and orchestral projects, the Tim Kliphuis Sextet with Nigel Clark, Roy Percy and string players Janneke van Prooijen, Frank Brakkee and Charles Watt continues to wow audiences across Europe: a colourful crossover approach to classical and jazz music. Tim Kliphuis is a DPA Microphones, Pirastro Strings and Zeta Violin artist.

• More details about Paulus Schafer

  Paulus Schafer

  Paulus Schäfer (born 1978) is today one of the most talented Gypsy Jazz guitarists from The Netherlands. Born into a Dutch Sinti (Gypsy) community he learned to play the guitar at a very early age. Besides listening to fellow Sinti and records of his idol Django Reinhardt, it was Wasso Grünholz – a legend within the Sinti community – from whom he learned the most. After a short period of time, in which Paulus briefly took over the lead guitar of Jimmy Rosenberg in the Gipsy Kids, he formed the Paulus Schäfer Gipsy Band and recorded his debut album Into the Light in 2002, followed by many concerts and numerous – headlining – invitations to jazz festivals: Sziget Festival Budapest (H), Khamoro Prague (CZ), IGGF Gossington (UK), Django Reinhardt Festival Samois-sur-Seine (FR), Gipsy Festival Anger (FR), International Gipsyfestival (NL), International Guitar Festival Kaluga (RU), Django in June (USA), Copenhagen Jazz Festival (DNK), Djangofollies (BEL), Django Liberchies (BEL), Tampere Guitar Festival 2015 (FIN), Seixal Jazz (PO), Jazz Dock Prag (CZ), Victoria Django Festival (CAN), Raduno Mediterraneo Jazz Manouche (ITA), Django a Gogo (US), Amersfoort Jazz (NL), Haarlem Jazz (NL), Breda Jazz (NL), Jazz in Duketown (NL), Yes Gouda Jazz (NL), Jazzclub Reduta Prag (CZ), Clamores Madrid (ES), Django Amsterdam (NL), Carnegie Hall NYC (US) 2017, The Woodland – Maplewood (US), Town Hall NYC (US), Rasprodano Lisinski Zagreb (HR) 2018, Deajeon International Guitar Festival (KR) 2018, Royal Opera House Mumbai (IN) 201) to name a few. Being a musician on high demand, Paulus is often to be found on stage with other musicians like The Rosenberg Trio, Biréli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg, Al Di Miola, Fapy Lafertin, Stephane Wrembel, Jimmy Rosenberg, Tim Kliphuis, Feigeli Prisor, Andreas Öberg, Olli Soikkeli, Gonzalo Bergara, Ritary Gaguenetti, Jan Kuiper, Jan Akkerman, Damir Kukuruzović etc. and can be found on many albums. He also recorded two more albums with his own group in 2006, Desert Fire and Live at the NWE Vorst with the Paulus Schäfer Gipsy Band and The Tilburg Big Band. In March 2012 he released Twelfth Year, in which he guaranteed the assistance of Tim Kliphuis, Nous’che and Stochelo Rosenberg. In the same year two new albums been released. The surprising Rock Django and the Scandinavian album with Hot Club d’Europe Kouvola Junction. In November 2014 he had recorded with his trio and accordeonist Dominique Paats the cd album Rocky. With the CD Letter to van Gogh, October 2015 Paulus Schäfer brings a homage to this Dutch artist from Brabant. It is a unique album of his exclusive compositions. Paulus has a particular sound, easy recognised, and although all Paulus’ albums are true to a distinctive Gipsy Jazz/Swing sound; Paulus is always looking for a new modern sound. Not only to broaden his own horizons, but also for a more representative Gipsy Jazz sound for the 21st century. The violinist Tim Kliphuis typifies Paulus playing: ‘His singing tone, fearsome technique and well-balanced solos instantly reminded me of my days with Fapy Lafertin, who turned out to have been mentoring Paulus‘. On May 30 2013 he has been awarded by Mr. Akimov of the International Guitar Festival ‘The World of Guitar’ (Kaluga – Russian Federation) for his ‘special contribution to contemporary development of Gypsy Jazz‘.